Twelve Days
by Ferrousity
Summary: They say the human body can last up to twelve days without sleep. That's not accounting for the stress, nausea, aches, dizziness, fatigue and hallucinations, of course. When Shikamaru falls victim to a new and deadly technique, how far will Ino go to save him?
1. Day One: The Beginning

The sharp blade of the kunai cut through the forest air, embedding itself deeply into the ground in front of the three Konoha shinobi. Before them stood their target: Cloaked in a heavy traveler's shawl, his face remained obscured and his expression unreadable. His navy blue hair fell messily over his face, covering one of his piercing emerald eyes. There was a small shuffling noise as he placed the freshly acquired scroll into a pocket on his Amegakure garb. The leader of the Konoha squad held a second kunai in his hand, flanked by his teammates in an offensive formation.

"Surrender now, and return the stolen property. You can't win this." The order was given in a stern, lazy drawl. Shikamaru watched his opponent with a calculating glare; his mind was already buzzing with dozens of different tactics and outcomes for the confrontation. When the jade-eyed criminal simply shook his head, he sighed. Why even bother offering them to surrender? Thieves never seemed smart enough to accept the easier, painless way out. The shadow-user spared a quick glance at the sky, watching the sun loom lazily overhead.

_'This won't take long'. _The environments' conditions were completely optimal for his plan, and with one final sigh, he began forming hand seals. Chouji sprang into action immediately, enlarging the size of his fist and driving it at their opponent. There was a blur of motion as the thief intercepted Chouji's blow with his palm; water instantly began to surge in a sphere around the Akimichi, trapping him helplessly. His attentions turned to Shikamaru, and for the first time since their pursuit began, he spoke.

"It is I who will be giving you the option to surrender. Leave now, or forever bear witness to the horror that is me: The Sandman of the Rain, Mizugawa Enishi." He was answered by a kunai sailing toward him, sizzling with the familiar sound of an explosive tag. Enishi frowned slightly, releasing his victim from the Water Prison and evading the projectile. He didn't have a second to recover, as Ino's leg came flying toward his face in a powerful roundhouse kick, sending him sprawling to the side. He recovered quickly, picking up his fallen hat and replacing it onto his head before sending a glare to the blonde. "You were given your chance." He raised his arms to form a hand seal, only to find that he had no control over his limbs. The same lazy voice that had given him the chance to surrender spoke up once more.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu: Success." Sure enough, Shikamaru and Enishi were linked by a jet black shadow, stretched across the forest floor. The former smirked, allowing his hands to slide into his pockets. "You had your chance, you know. I can't tell you how many times I've just wished for the bad guy to surrender. It's just so troublesome having to drag out the inevitable. Chouji, if you could hurry and incapacitate him, that'd be great. I want to get back before it becomes too dark to watch the clouds." As the size-shifter prepared to knock their captive unconscious, the trio was frozen by a dark chuckle. The tension grew as the chuckling became louder, evolving into full-blown, blood-freezing laughter.

"You fool! You were given your chance!" Before anyone could react, Enishi yelled out in sick glee, "Forbidden Art: Twelve Days of Night!" The emerald hue of his eyes darkened to a vibrant, blazing gold color. Both Ino and Chouji gasped as the shadow connecting them dissolved into nothing, and their teammate cried out in immense pain.

"Shikamaru!" Chouji rushed to his friend's side, checking his condition. He grew worried when he realized that he was out cold. Ino cursed from behind him.

"Shit, he got away." Her glare of frustration gave way to a look of concern when her cerulean eyes fell on her fallen teammate. "We've got to get him back to the village, now." The blonde's tone left no room for argument, and Chouji hefted the unconscious Nara onto his shoulders, ignoring Ino's complaints about 'Tossing him around like a sack of potatoes.' They wasted no time in heading back to the village, moving as fast as their legs could carry them.

While Chouji had taken the liberty of reporting their mission failure to Tsunade, Ino had opted to wait at the hospital. The Yamanaka sat impatiently in her chair, mind racked with worry.

_'Stupid, stupid, STUPID. For a so-called genius, you sure know how to make such stupid fucking decisions!' _ She knew that her frustrations were probably unfair, given that it was extremely rare for someone to be able to use a jutsu while being bound by the Nara's signature technique. So entranced was Ino in her mental ramblings, that she failed to notice the two pairs of feet that stopped in front of her.

"Yo, Piggy-chan. He's all yours." Startled, Ino looked up to see the smiling face of Haruno Sakura, whose arm was linked affectionately with Shikamaru's. "He had a small bump from when he collapsed, but Konoha's number-one-ass-kicking-medic patched that right up! Aside from his grumbling about the mission, he's good to go." She turned to her patient, glaring half-heartedly. "Take it easy for the rest of the day, you lazy idiot. I can't patch you up all day, you know." With a wink and a wave, she disappeared into the crowd of active doctors and nurses, resuming her duties with eagerness. Shikamaru didn't wait for Ino to get up, instead heading straight for the exit.

"Wait up, you asshole!" The shrill yell caused him to stop, wincing at the tone. God, how he hated hearing her yell. She caught up to him, barely resisting the urge to punch him. "I waited in this utterly _boring _waiting room for over an hour, and you can't even wait for me? Way to show your gratitude for carrying your ass back here after you went and passed out on us!" Descending the hospital stairs, Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"First off, Chouji's the one who carried me back. And don't you try to tell me otherwise, because we both know he did. Secondly, Sakura's the one who treated me. Thirdly, I _hate _hospitals, and you know this; I'm not going to stand around waiting for you." They'd reached the exit by now, and the pair walked out into the afternoon sunlight of the village streets. Ino shot her teammate another glare, huffing indignantly.

"That's another thing! I can't stand watching you two act like best freakin' friends all the time! It's like _God, _how is she not too _troublesome_ for you, huh!? She takes care of a little bump, and you let her latch onto your arm like some lovesick puppy. And yet the countless times I've risked my tail to fight with you apparently means nothing, is that it?" The lazy Jounin wanted to smack his head into a wall, repeatedly. He really had no idea how he was able to put up with Ino sometimes. Closing his eyes, he sighed deeply, sinking his hands into his pockets.

"Oi, Ino. You know it isn't like that. Look, I'm sorry, okay? I'm just tired. I appreciate you waiting for me, I do." The blonde visibly cooled, huffing once more as she blew her errant bang out of her face. The rest of their walk was filled with companionable silence, all the way to the training field. Shikamaru plopped down unceremoniously on the ground. He didn't even give Ino warning before he took his favorite position, gazing longingly at the sky. The blonde rolled her eyes, flipping her long ponytail over her shoulder. She turned to leave, more than willing to give her teammate his personal time. Before she was out of earshot, she called back to him,

"Lunch at Yakitori's tomorrow, your treat!" Enraptured by the tranquility of the clouds, Shikamaru muttered something about "troublesome blondes" before closing his eyes for a well-deserved nap.

A few minutes passed.

A few minutes turned into ten.

Ten turned into thirty.

With a groan, the brunette opened his sienna eyes, glaring at the sky. Normally, he'd have been pleasantly asleep by now. Apparently, that wasn't an option this time. _'Just my luck. Whatever, I'll just get started on my mission report.' _As loathe as he was to waste precious nap time on work, Shikamaru realized that sleep wasn't coming to him anytime soon, and figured he could at least do something productive.

Stars littered the Konohagakure night sky, twinkling in a sea of midnight glitter. A certain pineapple-haired Jounin lied in bed, exhausted. After finishing his mission report, Tsunade had sent him on several deliveries across the village, deciding to make use of him. By the end, he had a sneaking suspicion the adamantine Hokage was punishing him for failing his mission. Though he hadn't said anything to either of his teammates, their mission failure had been eating at him since he'd left the hospital. _'We were lucky that he decided to flee.' _He thought grimly. Though the Nara had found it strange that the thief had taken mercy, he was grateful nonetheless. If anything had happen to his teammates...no. He wouldn't think about that. Ever since the failed Sasuke Retrieval Mission, he had sworn not to let any of his comrades die.

The hours ticked by in agonizing silence. Try as he might, Shikarmaru couldn't fall asleep. His mind was plagued with thoughts of his team, the mission, and his life. He realized that the reason he didn't immediately object to Ino weaseling a free lunch out of him was because he felt too guilty to say no. There was a very real possibility that he could've lost both her and Chouji, and refused to take them for granted, especially considering the failure was his fault.

The strategist groaned miserably as the first rays of light poked through his window. It wasn't the first sleepless night he'd had, but he sure as hell hoped it'd be the last. At least he was living on his own, so he wouldn't have to worry about his mother banging on the door, harping at him to get up. The corner of his mouth twitched into the faintest of grins.

Small mercies.

**AN: Ta-da! Chapter one. Bear with me guys, cause this one is going to be a pretty interesting ride. As always, reviews are appreciated, and make me happy:) Till next time!**


	2. Day Two: Tired

Two tufts of equally vibrant hair stuck out among the crowd at Yakitori, chatting animatedly.

"I swear, I'll never understand why you give him such a hard time. He's such a good friend."

Gag. "God Sakura, why don't you _marry _him? I'm starting to wonder if you were bullshitting me when you said you were just friends."

Ino practically fell out of her seat when Sakura's face began to burn a tell-tale shade of red. She opened her mouth in accusation, but the pinkette cut her off.

"I'll admit, there was a time where I crushed on him hardcore. But I eventually got tired of wondering how he felt, and we just kinda settled into a brother-sister kind of relationship. And honestly, I think I like this better." The blonde nodded in agreement. Being his teammate for so long, Ino knew how protective and caring her lazy friend could be.

"Bleh. I still can't shake the image of you two together out of my head." Ino received no response, and looked to Sakura only to find her brow narrowed in concern, and her focus on something behind her. With a growl of annoyance, Sakura leapt from her seat, marching toward whatever she had seen. Ino followed her with her eyes, and immediately recognized the leisurely gait of her teammate.

"You! You didn't sleep at all last night, did you? I told you to get plenty of rest, you idiot!" She punctuated every other word with a fierce poke to the Jounin's chest; her victim could only be grateful that she refrained from adding a chakra-packed "oomph" to her harassment. Shikamaru rolled his eyes, returning her pokes with one of his own, to her forehead.

"Easy, I just had a lot on my mind. I'll get a nap in later." Silently, he cursed her perception. It was just his luck that Sakura was a keen-eyed medic, and worry-prone nag. He slid into a seat across from Ino, mumbling a greeting. A lazy smile crept onto his lips as he took in her appearance, which did not go unnoticed by either of the two kunoichi.

Ino took the chance to tease him, considering he was ten minutes late. "What's up Shika? Like what you see?" Instead of the usual embarrassed blush and mutterings of "troublesome women", she was surprised to see his small smile morph into a grin.

"Actually, yes. Your Chuunin outfit is a nice change from your purple everyday clothes. The dark blue and green colors really bring out the beauty in your eyes and hair."

While Sakura could only stare in open-mouthed awe, Ino was unable to react at all for a few seconds. A burning sensation had ignited in her belly, spreading like wildfire to her chest and face, painting her cheeks a spectacular scarlet.

"Shika, you _dog!_" Sakura shrieked, howling with laughter. A large number of the restaurant patrons turned at the outburst to watch her feebly attempting to support her laughing body on a table, before collapsing to the ground. After a full minute, the mirthful tremors finally stopped, and the pink-haired Chuunin collected herself. Shaking her head with a smile, she exited the diner, unable to maintain her composure. Yakitori soon returned to its normal atmosphere of eating and conversation.

Ino wasn't looking Shikamaru in the eye, instead finding the table extremely interesting. What he'd said was completely unexpected, and so..._un-Shikamaru-like_. Even worse, she noticed how her heart had sped up considerably, and not just out of embarrassment.

"If I didn't know you haven't slept, I would've punched you for that." She tried to force some authority into her voice, to little avail. Swallowing thickly, she chanced a glance at him. She had been expecting a smirk, one of his infamous looks that told her that he'd won, and he knew it. Instead, he was looking at her with a mix of confusion and embarrassment.

"Er...sorry about that. My head is pretty cluttered as it is, so I tend to say some stupid things when I'm tired." Ino only nodded, and thanked whatever God was up there when a waitress appeared shortly after. Shikamaru ordered a mackerel dish with some coffee, while she requested a salad and water. The brunette shook his head, distaste evident on his face. It was no secret between them that he thought she didn't eat nearly enough, and that her constant dieting was ridiculous. He seemed to have decided against a confrontation, because he said nothing about it. Instead, he chose another topic. "So, what have you been up to today?"

Ino shrugged, giving a soft thanks when their waitress returned with their drinks. She took a sip of her water, enjoying the sensation of the cool fluid running down her throat. "Nothing much, to be honest. It's painfully slow at the flower shop, and Chouji's at the Hokage's mansion with Shizune doing research. They're looking into that Mizugawa guy that we fought; I heard that we're probably going to end up having to track him down. Try not to faint this time, okay?"

The dark look that was sent her way made her pulse quicken. She knew how hard he took mission failures, and cursed her slip. The strategist didn't snap though. Instead, he took a long, deep drink from his coffee mug. With a heavy sigh, he set the cup down.

"Forget it, I know you didn't mean anything by it. In any case, I'm going to be heading to the archives after this. I want to see if there's anything on that jutsu he used on me, because I'd rather not have a repeat of last time." He frowned slightly, not even noticing the steaming plate that was placed in front of him. "Something just feels off about it. Whatever he used, it didn't require the use of his hands. Secondly, I don't like how he simply fled. When you two were focused on my safety, he had every chance to strike us all down; it would've erased any chance of a pursuit. Bah, this is too troublesome to think about right now. Maybe after a nap..." He trailed off, watching the wisps of steam rise from his plate.

Lunch was a rather quiet affair. Shikamaru found himself too absorbed in thought to contribute much to the conversation, and Ino was surprisingly quiet as well, wrapped up in her own musings. When the time came for them to part ways, Ino informed her teammate that they were meeting Tsunade the next morning to plan a course of action. Shikamaru nodded in affirmation, before heading off to the building housing the archives.

"Son of a _bitch! _This is such a drag..." The bitter mumblings resonated in the empty archives room. Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, falling ungracefully into a nearby chair. He stared at the spot where his search lead him.

It was empty.

_'Well, that solves the mystery of what he stole. Why can't things ever be easy?'_

With a pair of small shears in hand, Ino deftly tended to the hundreds of flowers that were located throughout the shop. She hummed a light tune while she worked, enjoying the lull in customer activity. Her fingers ran along the petals of a particular plant, aptly named Deersbane after the tendency for deer to eat them, then get sick shortly afterwards. Soon, her thoughts drifted to her deer-farming teammate. She couldn't quite place her finger on what it was, but something was off about him, and it worried her. Ino felt a familiar warmth spread through her as she remembered the way he had looked at her, with that small smile of his. It wasn't a confident grin that would be at home on someone like Uzumaki Naruto, or the superior smirk of someone like Hyuuga Neji. It was the content smile of someone who appreciated what they had. The warmth she had felt grew hotter then, reacting to the thought of her teammate seeing her that way. Ino was able to admit to herself that she'd had thoughts of Shikamaru that were far beyond how a teammate or friend would think of another. She wasn't sure when her infatuation had started, or when it had evolved into more than a simple crush.

"It's not like he would care. Lazy bastard probably doesn't even notice women." She muttered to the flower, flicking the petal softly. "Or if he does, he probably prefers the butch, violent, stupid, sand-dwelling, fan-wielding type." Each adjective was bit out with a harsher tone than the last, and Ino was frustrated to see that she'd practically destroyed the poor Deersbane. Orange sunlight poured through the windows of the store, heralding the final moments of the afternoon. Soon, Konohagakure would be plunged into the evening hour. Ino was surprised at how quickly the time had passed. After closing the shop, she slipped her Chuunin vest on and left to her apartment. What she hadn't told Shikamaru at lunch, was that she knew more about tomorrow's mission than she let on. She hadn't told him because he'd already had too much on his mind, and she didn't want to add to it. Fishing around in her pocket for her key, she almost laughed at the thought. Since when did she care if she made him think too much?

_'Probably around the same time he could shut me up with a half-assed compliment.' _Her mind supplied helpfully. Rolling her eyes at herself, Ino entered the empty apartment and began making the preparations that she'd need for the upcoming assignment.


	3. Day Three: Awkwardness

Yamanaka Ino forced her eyes forward as they traveled through the woods of the fire nation. The afternoon sun hung high overhead, filtering through the thick groves of foliage overhead, and bathing the forest in a warm midday light. Behind her, Chouji and Shikamaru were chatting idly about their mission plans. A patrol squad had spotted the rogue Nakamura headed in the direction of the land of wind, leading to Tsunade's swift dispatch of the Ino-Shika-Chou trio that morning. Ino couldn't help but inwardly flinch at the shadow user's visage when they'd met in the Hokage's office; heavy bags lined his eyes, and his posture reeked of fatigue. As they rounded the first leg of their two and a half day journey to Sunagakure, concern knotted in her stomach. It was clear that Shikamaru hadn't managed to sleep the previous night, despite his protests that he'd "caught a few hours".

"You think Gaara will put us in Sunahime again? That place was amazing. And the food! Man, I haven't had barbeque like that in forever." The excitement in Chouji's voice wasn't unwarranted. Sunahime was the Sand Village's most expensive, lavish and luxurious inn. Most of the patrons were ambassadors, political figureheads, and wealthy citizens; a single night's rent would bankrupt the average citizen. However, it seemed that the Kazekage held a soft spot for several of Konoha's shinobi, and often allowed them to stay there at no cost during their time in the village. It had certainly made Shikamaru's liaison duties less troublesome.

"He's been generous enough to do so everytime I've visited, so it's probably a safe bet." He was answered with a mocking laugh from his portly friend, who nudged him playfully in the ribs.

"It doesn't hurt that his sister has it bad for you, eh, Shikamaru?" Chouji gave a hearty laugh at his friend's loud groan. "Let's face it man. Besides Naruto, you're the only one who practically gets the red carpet treatment out there." Shikamaru opened his mouth to protest, but the Akimichi cut him off. "And no, it has nothing to do with your ambassador status." The lazy nin only groaned again. A short distance ahead of them, Ino felt the knot of concern unravel into a viscious, green-eyed serpent of jealousy. The beast had hatched nearly four years ago, when Temari was first assigned as the ambassador between Sunagakure and Konohagakure. Ino hadn't even realized that she harbored feelings for her teammate at the time, but still felt her temper flare whenever she spotted the sand kunoichi's signature hairstyle in a crowd. Now older and wiser, Ino understood her distaste for the other woman. The only comfort had been the fact that Shikamaru was either oblivious to, or uninterested in Temari's intentions. Her thoughts drifted to a particular scene she'd witnessed early that morning, before they had met at the Hokage's office for their assignment. It only served to make the serpent hiss.

It was several hours later when the trio found themselves seated in front of a campfire, preparing to settle in for the night. Ino, who had been uncharacteristically silent, excused herself from the campsite, walking off into the forest. Chouji looked over at Shikamaru to find him scribbling something into a journal, presumably mission notes. Neither of his teammates peculiar behaviors had been lost on the chubby shinobi, though at least Shikamaru's was explainable. When he asked what his friend was writing, Chouji was surprised to see a sheepish grin work its way onto the taller male's features. He took a moment to finish the sentence he was on, then closed the book and stored it in his bag.

"It's a journal; Dad gave it to me before the war." He paused, attempting to swallow the welling sense of loss at the mention of his late father. "He told me that it would help organize my thoughts. Having a mind like we do has its perks, but the constant thinking can get extremely troublesome. When I write things down, it's like putting in a pair of earplugs."

Chouji raised an eyebrow. "So...it's a diary?" He chuckled, not bothering to avoid the halfhearted punch that his friend aimed at his shoulder. Ino returned shortly after, informing the two males that the perimeter was secured. Shikamaru stood, stretching his lanky form. The hem of his shirt lifted with the action, exposing a hint of an abdomen that had been toned from years of a physically rigorous lifestyle. Subconsciously, Ino swallowed thickly. The amber light of the campfire licked against his exposed skin in an incredibly tantalizing manner, and she was overcome with the desire to feel it beneath her fingertips. It took a significant amount of willpower for her to tear her eyes away from the sight, feeling a familiar rush of heat flood her face. Shikamaru's lazy drawl announced that he had volunteered for first watch, which immediately caused Ino to snap her head back in his direction. But before she could object, he disappeared into an overhead tree. Ino bristled with frustration at her teammates blatant disregard for his personal health and well-being, muttering dark expletives as she crawled into her bag. Chouji was nestled comfortably inside of his, having no intentions of wasting precious sleep time. Rest didn't come as easily to Ino, who found herself consumed by thoughts of the lazy Jounin who was perched somewhere above them. _'It isn't like him to not sleep. Is he sick? Did he not fully recover from our fight against Enishi yet? Oh, Shikamaru...'_

A heavy sigh escaped the brunette's lips. He rubbed the palm of his hand against his eyes, attempting unsuccessfully to wipe away his exhaustion. Despite his best efforts, Shikamaru couldn't understand why he was unable to sleep. His first guess had been an overactive mind; it wouldn't have been the first time that the incessant thoughts in his head prevented him from sleep. Even then, it had never persisted for more than a single night at a time. The Nara had discarded this theory when he concluded that he didn't feel mentally overwhelmed at all; certainly not enough to warrant insomnia. His second assumption was stress. Again, that notion was stricken when he realized that he was under no more pressure than his day-to-day schedule caused. For a moment, Shikamaru had entertained the idea that it could be residual effects from their confrontation with the rain shinobi, but Sakura had cleared him when he was discharged. He'd even gone to her that morning to request a chakra scan. She was more than willing to give him one - and a nice, long lecture on the importance of sleep. If there was nothing mentally or physically wrong with him, then why couldn't he sleep?

_Morning sunlight bathed the campsite in the warm light of dawn. A chorus of birds resonated throughout the woods, carried along by a crisp morning breeze. Slowly but surely, both the human and animal residents of the forest began to stir._

_"Aw, shit man. You look even worse than yesterday. You're going to need to see Tsunade-sama when we get back, you know." Chouji frowned when Shikamaru shook his head in protest, but didn't press the issue. If he didn't want to do it the easy way, there were quite a few troublesome women willing to oblige him in the hard way. "You could've at least woken me or Ino up for a watch shift. When she wakes up..." He let out a low whistle. "You are gonna get an earful." _

_Shikamaru felt a headache coming on, and he wasn't sure if it was the lack of sleep, or the thought of Ino nagging him. He finished packing his gear, shooting Chouji a pleading look. "Cho, can you do me a favor? Let Ino think that we split the night watch. I just can't deal with her incessant nagging right now. It was bad enough getting it f-_

- rom Sakura yesterday morning. You wouldn't think she would have that much energy so early in the godforsaken morning." He covered his mouth in a futile effort to stifle a large yawn. "I'm going to ah, take care of some morning business. It'd be great if you could make sure Ino is up and ready while I'm gone."

"Go piss on a tree, I'm already up." Ino's voice called out from her bed roll, rough with sleep and ire. She stretched, feeling oddly rested. Normally on missions, she didn't sleep as mu-

"Nara Shikamaru, you _asshole!_" It clicked. She normally didn't sleep as much, because she was normally woken up for her watch shift. The fiery blonde was on her feet in an instant, ready to give the poor Nara hell. To Shikamaru's eternal luck, Chouji intervened.

"Ino, relax. We split the watch so you could sleep. You seemed really distracted and preoccupied yesterday, so we just wanted to give you a chance to get as much rest as you could. We've only got a day and a half left until we reach Suna. Can we avoid an argument at least until we get there?"

Sapphire eyes narrowed, before Ino gave a huff of resignation, and began preparing to set off. It wasn't long before their sleep-deprived squad leader returned, and the trio continued their trek to Sunagakure.

**So, not too much happened in this chapter, and it was pretty short; Sorry! D: This had been written for a bit, but I wasn't really satisfied with it. I might edit it again later, but this SHOULD be the only filler-ish chapter that goes up. Thank you guys so much for your reviews so far! Chapter Four should be arriving soon!**


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